Work (cough!) that I do within the press (since I contribute to EVO and a few other mags), plus connections within BMW UK. I have been debating which cars to assemble for a group test at the press launch event, so that time period is rather fixed in my mind at the mo, hopefully I can join the team although you can imagine I am not the only person fighting for access to the keys.

We were expecting a press announcement for the production M3 within a month of Geneva, and now since the pics and specs have been leaked I would expect this to be even sooner.

The M3 was originally intended to be launched in 2008, but I hear that BMW brought forward production of the X5 and which left room for another model to be launched in mid-2007. BMW are also conscious of the production demise of the RS4, plus the imminent launch of the C63 so they have pulled forward their plans by six months or so to allow the M3 some showspace. There is some noise within the BMW ranks concerning the hurried nature of the M3's launch, which is why nobody has a clear idea at the moment what kind of production quantities will be available to dealers this year. The facts are becoming clearer though so we should know soon, especially since customers should be able to spec cars sometime later this month.

More importantly I am still waiting to hear an official confirmation on the M3's weight, as specced to comparable UK spec. At the moment BMW UK are still debating how much equipment to offer as standard since this would narrow the gap between M3 and M5, and they are already concerned about the impact on M5 sales.